All Together Now

All Together Now is an initiative launched in Fall 2015 to help publicly funded health centers in Durham, NC adopt best practices in teen health care. This initiative is funded through a five-year cooperative agreement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Problem

Helping youth access sexual and reproductive health care is an essential part of helping young people get the care and support they need to avoid unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. However, few providers are geared toward serving adolescent patients. (OB/GYNs are often centered toward older obstetric patients, while pediatricians are often geared toward younger patients.) This gap often creates barriers for young people, including fears about privacy, trouble navigating health systems, and misinformation about contraceptive methods. And, too often, these barriers lead young people to forego important medical care.

The Basics

Durham’s publicly funded health centers will receive training, technical assistance, and coaching to help improve the accessibility, quality, and youth friendliness of sexual and reproductive health services. The initiative will also help health providers implement recommendations by leading medical organizations to help teens access the most effective contraceptive methods, IUDs and Implants. In addition, the initiative will help local organizations and agencies develop strong linking and referral networks to help youth find the health services they need.

The Goals

The primary goal of All Together Now is to improve health centers' capacity to provide teen friendly sexual and reproductive health care. In addition, the Durham community will be better equipped to refer teens to helpful medical providers.